Hairpin



Patented Apr. 13, 1948 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE r HAIR-PIN I y William H. Rothe, Irvington, NQJ. Application August 20, 1945, Serial No. 611,511 2 Claims. (01.13240) This invention relates to improvements in hairpins for use in dressing the hair and holding it in place, setting pin curls, and for similar purposes; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel hairpin for such purposes which is adapted to clasp the engaged hair and to retain itself in place by its inherent spring characteristics. i i

The invention has an object to provide a hairpin of such novel construction that, in use, it is adapted to firmly hold in place a given amount of hair Without risk of loosening or displacement of the hairpin from the hair, and without risk of injury to either the hair or the users scalp.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same. 7 r i The novel hairpin structure according to this invention is shownin the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the hairpin; Fig. 2 is a side elevationalview thereof as lodged in hair to be held in place thereby; and Fig. 3 is a top face view of the same. i I

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the hairpin as used to engage and set a pin curl, the curl being shown in section; and Fig. 5 is a top face view of the hairpin as so applied to a pin curl.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

The novel hairpin of this invention is formed from a single flat strip of resilient material, such e. g. as spring steel, which is doubled upon itself to provide a bottom section A and an overlying or opposed top section B. Said sections A and B are joined by an end loop I I] of substantial radius, said loop having convergent leg portions II and I2 terminating in mutually abutting contact points or stop bends l3 and I4, thus providing a substantially enclosed hair receiving area or space l5 of appreciabl capacity within the confines of said loop formation.

Extending from the contact point or stop bend l3, the bottom section A is formed to provide a downwardly bowed arcuate medial hump I6 of substantial longitudinal extent, and, similarly, extending from the contact point or stop bend M, the top section B is formed to provide an up wardly bowed arcuate medial hump l1 which is opposed to and coextensive with the hump l6 of said bottom section A. Said humps I 6 and I! respectively terminate in mutually abutting contact points or stop bends l8 and I9, thus provid- 2 ing, between the humps IBIand H, a substantially enclosed hair receiving area or space 20 substantially equivalent in capacity to that of the hair receiving area or space l5 within the end loop portion of the hair pin.

Extending from the contact point or stop bend 18, the bottom section A is formed to provide an upwardly bowed, shallowly arcuate free end portion 2i of substantial length, the same terminating in an upwardly or outwardly turned end tongue 22, the convex underface of which serves to offset the extremity of the end portion 2| from the users scalp when inserting the hair in into the hair and as said hairpin lies in the hair, thus avoiding risk of irritation or injury to the users scalp.

Extending from the contact point or stop bend IS, the top section B is formed to provide a plurality of keeper humps 23, each comprising an inner relatively long ascending side 24 and an outer relatively short and relatively steeply pitched descending side 25, said descending sides 25 terminating in stop bends 26 adapted to abut the free end portion 2! of the bottom section A, whereby said keeper humps enclose hair receiving spaces 21 of comparatively limited area. By reason of the described formation of said keeper humps 23, the long ascending sides 24 thereof, which are outwardly divergent to the underlying bottom section A of the hairpin, willoifer but minimum resistance to the passage of hair between the hairpin sections A and B, when the hairpin is inserted in or applied to the hair by the user, but, once the hair is entered in and confined within the receiving spaces 21 defined by said keeper humps 23, the steeply pitched descending sides 25 of said keeper humps will offer amaximum resistance to outward passage of hair from said spaces 21, and consequently will very effectively obstruct and prevent accidental withdrawing displacement of the hairpin from the hair to which it is applied.

Beyond the outermost keeper hump 23, the top section B terminates in an upwardly inclined terminal portion 28 which is divergent to the free end portion 2| of the bottom section A, and preferably somewhat rearwardly 0r inwardly offset relative to the extremity of the latter. Said terminal portion 28, as thus related to the bottom section A of the hairpin, may serve as a fingerpiece for spreading apart the hairpin sections A and B, when the user applies th hairpin to the hair, and also serves to guide hair into the embrace of said hairpin sections.

In the complete hairpin, as comprised by the at the inner part of the hairpin, it will be obvious that the latter is adapted to grasp and, by the spring action of its sections A and B, to clasp. a comparatively large amount of hair, whereby to :assure firm anchorage of the hairpin in the hair as well as maximum hair embracing and holding effect, while nevertheless the outer parts of the hairpin sections A andB will readily close together, due to their spring'tension whereby the same are yieldably'urged'onetoward the other. When the hairpin thus closes, additional minor amounts of hair will be embraced and confined by the keeper humps 23, whereby all tendency of the hairpin to work loose from hair clasping condition is efiectively prevented.

Furthermore, due to theprovision of the adjoining hair receiving areas or spaces and 2% as separated by the mutuall abutting stop bends i3 and M, the hairpin is admirably adaptedto serve as a meansfor holding and setting pin curls, when the latter are formed'in the users hair. Such use of the hairpin is shown i Figs. 4 and 5, and by reference thereto it will be observed that opposite sides of'the pin curl convolutions are respectively embraced and confined in the respective hair receiving areas or spaces i5 and 20, whereby to wind about a center provided by the mutually abutting sto -bends l8 and it, thus not only firmly holding the hair convolutions, but also in a manner to assure a proper shaping and setting of the curl.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A hairpin madeof flat spring strip material doubled upon itself to provide opposed bottom and top sections joined by-an end loop of substantial radius and'substantial length having convergent leg portions terminating in transversely aligned and opposed mutually abutting stop bends, said bottom-section having a downwardly bowed arcuate hump of substantial length extending from one said stop bend, said top section having an upwardly bowed arcuate hump of corresponding length extending from the other stop bend and opposed to said hump of the bottom section, said humps respectivel terminating in opposed transversely aligned and mutually abutting additional stop bends, said end loop and opposed humps being adapted to provide enclosed adjoining hair receiving spaces of substantial capacity at the closed end portion of the hairpin, said bottom section terminating beyond its hump in a shallowly curved up-bowed free end portion, and said top section terminating beyond its hump in a transversely corrugatefree end portion, the corrugations of which opp0se.-' and abut the upbowed bottom section free end portion whereby to provide a plurality of keeper humps adapted to define and enclose a plurality of additional relatively small hair receiving spaces adjacent the open end portion of the hairpin.

2. A hairpin made of fiat spring strip material doubledupon itselfto provide opposed bottom and top sections joined by an end loop of substantial radius and substantial length having convergent leg portions terminating in transversely aligned and opposedmutuallyabutting stop bends, said bottom section'having a downwardly bowed arcuate hump of substantiallengt-h extending from one said stopbend, said top section having an upward-1y bowed'arcuate hump of corresponding length extending' from the other stop bend and opposed tosaid hump of the-bottom section, said humps respectively terminatingin opposed transversely aligned and mutually abutting additional stop bends, said end loop and opposed humps being adapted to provide enclosed-adjoining hair receiving spaces of substantial-capacity at the closed end portion of the hairpin, said bottom section terminating beyond its hump ina shallowly curved up-bowed free end portiornand said top section terminating beyond its-hump in a free end portion provided with a pluraIity of keeper humps disposed to oppose the up-bowed bottom section free end portion whereby to providea plurality of keeper humps adapted to define and'enclose a plurality of additional relatively small hair receiving spaces adjacent the open endof the hairpin, each said'keeper hump comprising aninner relatively long ascending side and an outer relatively short and relativelysteeply pitched divergent descending side;

WILLIAM H. ROTHE.

REFERENCES CITED The following-references are'of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number v Name Date 1,823,685 Haims Sept. 15, 1931 2,360,184: Willis Oct. 10, 1944 2,361,335 Vigneault' Oct, 24, 1944 

